Zoning Code for 8,400 Blocks – More than One Fifth of the City Excluding Parks – Has Been Updated to Spur Mixed-Income Housing and Commercial Development in Transit-Rich Areas While Protecting Character of Lower-Scale Neighborhoods

“Even in the national economic downturn, New York City’s population continues to grow, thanks in large part to the fact that we’ve made the City safer and cleaner than it’s ever been – and we’ve turned around a broken and dysfunctional school system, which is helping to keep more middle class families in our City. A growing population helps create jobs, but it also requires city government to plan for the future – and that’s exactly what we’ve been doing, by creating new capacity for growth in areas that can handle it, while also preserving the character of neighborhoods that need protection from overdevelopment.

“City Planning’s 100 re-zonings have created a blueprint for sustainable development. Together, they offer new housing and job opportunities near transit hubs while maintaining the diverse character of New York City’s many residential neighborhoods by updating decades-old zoning to protect the scale of lower density and auto-dependent neighborhoods. The strategy represents a convergence of PlaNYC – our ambitious sustainability agenda – and our Five Borough Economic Opportunity Plan – our blueprint to create jobs, develop affordable, attractive neighborhoods and grow New York City’s economy. Approximately 2.1 million people live in areas touched by re-zonings, which have been spearheaded by City Planning Commissioner Amanda Burden and her team, together with the collaboration among a host of City agencies, including the New York City Economic Development Corporation and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Their efforts have produced the largest reimagining of our City’s land-use since 1961.

“Key to the success of the re-zonings has been the active engagement of communities at every stage of the planning process. That’s been the case whether we are creating capacity for major investment and development, as we have in Hudson Yards in Manhattan, the Lower Concourse in the Bronx; revitalizing existing neighborhoods like Coney Island or the area around the High Line; or protecting the character of communities, like Westerleigh in Staten Island, Cambria Heights in Queens or Carroll Gardens in Brooklyn, the rezoning that was adopted today.

“Many of the benefits of this ambitious planning agenda will be realized decades from now, but the Department’s 100th re-zoning is a remarkable milestone, and I’m proud to congratulate City Planning on its extraordinary work thus far, thank the City Council for its continued partnership and acknowledge the many civic groups, community boards and elected officials who have each played a vital role in realizing these important changes. Working together, we’ll continue building a greener, greater, and stronger future for all New Yorkers and the neighborhoods we call home.”